Erfurt, Germany, April 26
Eighteen persons were killed in a bloodbath at a German school on Friday when an armed former pupil opened fire, police said.

The police said the 19-year-old gunman killed 14 teachers and three pupils before killing himself. It was not immediately clear whether he had killed himself or had been shot by the police.

The police surrounded the high school in the eastern German city after the attacker barricaded himself in a classroom with other students.

Reports of the incident throughout the day were confused and the police had earlier spoken of two gunmen. One witness said the killer had opened fire after sitting down to begin a mathematics exam. Reuters